North Conway, NH to Bar Harbor, Me
 

Hi. I just checked MAPQuest for driving directions from North Conway, NH to Bar Harbor, ME and it picked a route which looks to be all back roads, through Augusta ME taking 5 hours. I can believe the time, but wouldn't it be better to go to Portland and up the coast. Would appreciate any help. Thanks.

Hi Jazzman!<BR><BR>Getting from North Conway to Bar Barbor is no easy task. The MapQuest directions would be lovely during the fall. I don't know what time of the year you are planning the drive, but I would recommend following their directions if during the fall. If you are coming this way spring or summer, yes, driving to Portland would probably be faster, but keep in mind that summer in coastal Maine can be quiet slow due to so much traffic. Have a great drive.

You can generally move along fairly quickly on the back roads of Maine. I don't think you will save much time by going via Portland and the interstate especially if you plan to do it during the summer. You will have to take back roads from Bangor to Bar Harbor either way.

You might want to also check www.freetrip.com for driving directions. I've looked directions up on there but have never actually used them yet so can't recommend it from personal knowledge, but it might &quot;confirm&quot; your mapquest directions.

The back roads from No Conway through Augusta are secondary 2 lane highways, most in pretty good shape. They do go through many smaller towns and back areas, but you can definitely get an idea of the life in rural Maine towns, and see alot of Maine scenery. If you would rather see the coastal towns and be closer to the water, the coastal route is obviously for you and then I would recommend you go that route via Portland. Either way will be a snapshot of Maine.